ORANGE Barbarians will be looking to get back in the winner’s circle when they take on Wallerawang Warriors at Max Stewart Park this Saturday.
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The Barbarians are coming off 32-10 loss against Kandos Waratahs and they will be bolstered by the return of some more experienced players.
Club president Paul Rudd believes it is crucial the Barbarians stay in the arm wrestle, as he believes they have what it takes to win the match towards the end.
“Wallerawang play a tough grinding style, I believe if we stick with them and avoid chasing two or three tries we might have them towards the end,” Rudd said.
“We’ve been working hard at training on our fitness and hopefully we can use it at the end of the game, where our outside backs can come through.”
Wallerawang has had the last two weeks off, so might appear a bit flat according to Rudd.
“They [Wallerawang] will be very keen for a game ... they have had the last two weeks off so might be a bit off and lack fitness,” he said.
Barbarians have had to continuously change their starting line-up throughout the season, with players being unavailable for certain games.
Last Saturday they took a skeleton crew of inexperienced players who were thrust into starting positions.
“I guess it was a good way to give the boys some game time,” Rudd said.
The two hour trip to Kandos took its toll on the travelling Barbarians, with the half time score being 24-4.
“The long trip killed the boys ... we appeared a bit switched off and lethargic and soon we were chasing points,” Rudd said.
Barbarians are currently sitting three points out of finals contention and are still hopeful of being in the play-offs at the end of the season, the key for them according to Rudd is to have a consistent squad.
“We have a very inconsistent squad, which is constantly rotating,” he said. “We’ll have three players back for a game and then another three out, it has been the story of our season.”
The match will kick off at 2:30pm this Saturday at Max Stewart Park.